koala vs Short-tailed river stingray

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Potamotrygon brachyura

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Short-tailed river stingray is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Short-tailed river stingray
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Diprotodontia (двурезцовые сумчатые)	Myliobatiformes (хвостоколообразные)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Potamotrygonidae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Potamotrygon
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Potamotrygon brachyura

Evolutionary Relationship

koala and Short-tailed river stingray share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (хордовые)

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Short-tailed river stingray

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Short-tailed river stingray
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	75 cm	—
Average Weight	10.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Short-tailed river stingray

koala

Iconic marsupial of eastern and southeastern Australia, koalas weigh up to 15 kg and spend up to 22 hours daily sleeping to conserve energy from their low-calorie eucalyptus leaf diet. Highly specialized to process toxic eucalyptus compounds that would kill most other mammals, they have gut microbiomes uniquely adapted for detoxification. Listed as Endangered in 2022, with populations decimated by chlamydia disease, habitat clearing, and climate change.